McMunn, Cook, Treanor Help U.S. Pull Away From Canada

Jen Cook scored two goals and had three assists for the
U.S. U19 women's team in a 13-6 win over Canada Thursday in round
robin play at the FIL U19 World Championship. Cook assisted on the
game's first two goals.

HANNOVER, Germany — The last time Team
USA and Team Canada met, it took the Americans just 52 seconds to
score their first goal en route to an easy victory. When the two
North American teams met again at the 2011 FIL U19 Women's World
Championship, the Americans needed more than six minutes to get on
the scoreboard, but the result was eventually the same.

Team USA defeated the Canadians, 13-6, bringing its tournament
record to 2-0 overall. Erin McMunn led the Americans with three
goals, while Jen Cook added two goals and three assists. Kayla
Treanor (2g) was named Player of the Game.

"We played Canada back in May at the US Lacrosse Women's
Division National Tournament, and obviously everybody's had a lot
of time to practice and come together as a team," U.S. head coach
Krystin Porcella said. "They were doing a great job of directing
the draw to themselves, which gave them a little momentum. When we
started draw to ourselves a bit more, that helped us control the
midfield, which controls the game."

The game started slowly, a rarity in what has been a
high-scoring tournament. It took 6:09, a handful of wide shots and
another that went off a pipe, before Cook found Taylor Trimble (1g)
on the crease and hit her with a pass from behind the cage to score
the first goal of the game. The game was scoreless for the next
3:12, when Cook charged up the middle and made a generous pass to
McMunn, who added a second goal for the U.S at 10:21.

Canada responded at 11:13, when Casey Lyons cut across the
crease and finally beat American goalie Kelsey Duryea (8 saves).
The two teams traded then goals to put the score at 3-2 at 13:18,
the closest margin of the day, before the U.S. went on a decisive
four-goal run. At halftime, the score was 7-3.

The game included a steady defensive effort from the U.S. to
hold off the scrappy Canadians. After both Kelly McPartland and
Barb Sullivan picked up yellow cards in the first half of the
tightly called match, Porcella told her team to pull back from
checking and to play defense solely with their feet and body
position.

"I'm used to defending without checking," defender Alyssa
Blevins said about the adjustment. "I hate checking because I
normally just end up hitting someone. Defensively we united and
worked very well together."

Duryea started for the second game in a row for the U.S. and put
in a solid effort. Allie Murray relieved her late in the second
half and added four saves against a determined Canadian attack.
Lyons and Sarah Oor led Team Canada with two goals each. Canadian
goalie Katie Donohue had 10 saves, but her defense struggled to
keep pace with the Americans' motion offense. Eight different
players scored for the U.S.

"Everything we do is a motion, and everyone has the chance to
go," Porcella said. "They have to balance when they go and when
they don't, and they do a good job of that."

With two wins to their credit, the Americans continue their
march toward a fourth consecutive U19 World Championship. Their
next opponent will be the Haudenosaunee, played Saturday at 10 a.m.
local time.